The world’s most famous vampire has been “undead” for over a century.
LENGTH: 45 Minutes
MSRP PRICE: $24.95
CATALOG #: 20296
UPC #: 6-4603202969-7
ISBN #: 1-56839-221-4
RELEASE YEAR: 2004
PRODUCER: Langbein & Skalnik Media
The famous novel Dracula, written by Irish author Bram Stoker, was a mixture of reality, superstition, fearful fantasies and history. Stoker’s role model for the novel was an actual Romanian Prince born in the 15th century: Vlad Tepes or “Vlad the Impaler,” so named because of his favorite method of executing his enemies – the horrific medieval torture known as “impaling.” And so “Vlad the Impaler” and the Transylvania vampire Count Dracula, became forevermore, one and the same.
The image of the vampire has been seen in novels, films, plays, paintings, and even a new musical, Dance of Vampires, directed by Roman Polanski. This captivating new documentary travels to the heart of Transsylvania, in today’s Romania, to uncover the historical truths behind the legend of Dracula. Today, vampire tourism in Romania is booming. A self-described vampire hunter, Paul Daian, believes that vampires lurk in the streets of today’s Bucharest and can adopt various forms. A Viennese dermatologist, Christian Honigsmann, discusses his theory that porphyria, a widespread genetic illness in Transsylvania in those days, was behind many vampire superstitions, especially the idea of their fear of sunlight. And Princess Brianna Caradja, a descendant of Vlad Tepes’ talks about her famous ancestor.
Reviews
“Even now Romanians use expressions such as, ‘Where is a Vlad Tepes now, we would need somebody like him now to make the country better.’ So in this way, yes, I’m proud.” – Princess Brianna Caradja, Dracula’s great granddaughter in the 27th generation.“As the Sultan approached the capital, he not only saw scorched earth but something far more terrifying: 20,000 people, impaled by Vlad Tepes.” – Raymond McNally, historian, Boston College
“A film by Matthias Kessler “This incisive documentary examines the vampire tourism phenomenon, and provides a good historical perspective on the superstitions and folklore that propelled the Dracula myth to its current status. Sure to be popular. Recommended. Three Stars.” – Video Librarian
“The film features interviews with scholars as well as one of Vlad’s living relatives, along with footage of his castle and a few of the spots featured in Stoker’s novel. In addition to Vlad’s history, this also touches on vampire lore. Very informative and great grisly fun. …Recommended.” – Library Journal
“Is Dracula real or just a myth? Where did the Irish author, Bram Stoker, come up with this famous vampire and who did he base his story on? Dracula: The True Story takes a look at this phenomena of the greatest known undead. With the current interest in horror stories, this video would be a great introduction to the genre. … and is a great introduction to the study of the novel.” – School Library Journal
“Dracula: The True Story is an informative new documentary traveling to the heart of Transylvania (in today’s Romanian) to uncover the historical truths behind the legend of Dracula. …fascinating… Highly Recommended.” – Reviewer’s Bookwatch
“A highly informative documentary about the history of the Dracula legend. With some scenes from Nosferatu and Bram Stoker’s Dracula, this tape looks at several very real historical facts that may have spawned the mythology that eventually led Bram Stoker to create the infamous vampire. Much of the tape focuses on Vlad Tepes and his bloody deeds. There are also some modern takes on the effects of the legend in Romania. It’s interesting to see how tourism has been affected… There’s also a scientific look at several diseases that have been historically attributed to vampirism. An excellent well put together documentary that is highly recommended to anyone interested in the history of one of the greatest monsters ever created.” – The Classic Horror Website
